Point Place Siren
by AvalonReeseFanFics
Summary: In a chance encounter Hyde meets a beautiful girl, a girl that could hold the power to unlocking his stone heart. Soon he's obsessed with finding her once more will he? And if he does will she live up to his expectations? / rated M just in case
1. Chapter 1

Point Place Siren

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: I've been watching a lot of _That 70's Show_ and I really like the idea of Hyde with someone other then Jackie because she's a horrible person so here it is. I hope it's still interesting.

Chapter 1: Song Spell

* * *

It had been a long night of drinking and smoking... you know... the good stuff. Hyde and his gang had taken the party out to the woods that surrounded Point place. They hotboxed Kelso's van and they had planned to sit out under the stars and contemplate the vastness of the universe but Hyde had needed to pee and strayed from the group. Now he was wandering through the trees not certain what it was he left for in the first place.

So he was giggling and swaying with the wind in the trees staring at the stars dancing with him through the branches. And that's when the music hit him. This beautiful ethereal singing that was floating through the forest and calling to him, making him follow it.

He had no idea what the words were, he didn't recognize the song, but he knew that whatever it was it was beautiful and he had to find it. So instead of peeing he was walking as fast as his high little legs could take him trying to find who the music belonged to.

He found himself by one of Point Place's many little lakes. The moon was high in the sky, the moon light bouncing off the lake. The singing was gone and everything was calm and quiet. He searched the area looking for any sign of where the song had come from and heard the rippling of water.

In slow motion a girl surfaced from the water, wearing absolutely nothing. The fact that she had no clothes on wasn't the most important part—though it was very important that she had an amazing rack—what was most important was the fact that as she resurfaced with her eyes closed she was singing to herself. The music was hers.

She was walking towards the shore just as he was walking towards the water line, he was ankle deep in water, he felt the water filling in his boots but he didn't care. The woman had stopped, her long blonde hair lay in soaked cascades down her back, her skin was creamy and flawless. Her emerald green eyes met his and then both of them were frozen. He could hear his heart beating so hard he swore it could start an earthquake.

Her eyes searched his, her song gone, she seemed afraid and he guessed that her teeth were chattering because she was wet and cold. He shrugged his brown leather jacket off and took a step forward so he could drape it over her shoulders. In his slow mind he realized that his mouth had been open this entire time.

Once his jacket touched her shoulders the girl wrapped the jacket around her and the gloriousness of her body was lost to him but he couldn't care less. Her eyes, those giant orbs were as green as the summer in the forest and he was lost to them and this sudden burning desire to kiss her. It was almost as if she read his mind because she moved the distance between he and her getting up on her tippy toes and pressing her lips against his, her body molding to his hot and hard one.

He could have easily gotten to second base but his hands didn't dare venture under his own coat to find her silky skin. Instead he held her shivering form close to his chest, his hands were firmly planted at her back above the jacket certain that if he let her go he'd lose her that she'd vanish as quickly as she had appeared. He let her tongue find its way into his mouth, he let her fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt, one hand on his shoulder the other above his heart. She kissed him until it all went black, and when he woke up the next morning, his feet were cold and damp, and the girl, his wallet and his jacket were gone.

* * *

His friends didn't believe him and sometimes, late at night Stephen Hyde even doubted himself. It made sense in his mind, sometimes, to believe that he had dreamed up the beautiful blonde with the soulful green eyes that gave him the best kiss of his life and then stolen his jacket and wallet and possibly his heart while she was at it. His friends were probably right, he probably hallucinated in the woods, and passed out leaving him a prime target for any thief, hobo or punk to just steal his stuff.

But on those empty nights, where all he had but time to think about that one perfect moment froze still in the memories of his mind, he could feel her. He could feel the burning her touch had left under his skin, the itch it left in his fingers, that longing that had settled in his heart. He needed to see her again, he needed to have her close to him, hold her just one more time. He didn't care how, or what he'd have to sell to do it, he just had to see her again.

So he spent more time then he was willing to admit at that lake waiting for a chance to see her again, wondering if he had to get high to see her. What if she was a wood nymph, a creature of magic, drawn out only during the full moon from the lake? WHAT IF SHE WAS A MERMAID?! No I siren would make more sense with the way her angelic voice had called him to her.

So a week and a half later Hyde was at the lake again. He had stopped smoking up before he came here, he needed his wits about him if he was going to catch a siren in the woods. He had been waiting a long time, almost the whole night, he was tired to the bone, and he wanted to sleep. Disappointment tugged at him, he mentally berated himself for believing he could have happiness as deep as what Forman had found with Donna.

He was getting ready to climb back into his El Camino, to drive back to the Forman's so he could sleep the day away in the basement room they let him live in pretending that he was happy when he wasn't going to ever be happy if he didn't have this girl with him when he heard it again. That song, the same one from that night, drifted through the air like a siren's call.

 _Say you'll remember me, standing in a nice dress..._

She was singing again, but this time she wasn't at the lake, she was somewhere else but she was somewhere close. But most importantly he had to find her, to prove to himself and to everyone else if possible that she was in fact real. Good God if he was hallucinating this too he would never do drugs again. If she was a siren she was taking him down into the water with her because he wasn't leaving without her.

Hyde took off without a second thought racing through the trees following the song. Fear had gripped him, was he dreaming this too, was this all some trick? Would that amazing girl be there or was she just a figment of his imagination?

Hyde stopped at a clearing, his breath running ragged, his chest heaving, he was a little light headed and embarrassed that he had gotten that badly out of shape. But there she was, across from him. She was wearing a faded hunter green day dress with a pleated skirt and an empire waist. The dress ran up to her neck, but there were no sleeves leaving her shoulders bearing her practically glowing skin and his jacket was still on her, hanging off of one shoulder. She was twirling through the flowers singing her song, dancing with the fireflies as if she were one with the forest, as if she were the human embodiment of a unicorn and just as rare.

She turned and time froze once more. She caught sight of Hyde standing across from her and he could have sworn a smile broke on her face. Then, as quickly as before, she turned and ran from the clearing. It didn't take long for Hyde to snap back to life, with a jolt he found himself sprinting across the clearing even though he hadn't quite caught his breath from before. He followed her, the dash of silvery-white blonde flashing through the trees, desperate to catch her, to feel her skin against his, to make sure she was real.

It took all his strength and will power to catch and even then he figured she let him. He was an arm's length away from her when she suddenly rounded on him. He had forced himself to slide to a stop so he wouldn't run her right over. Still she ended up in his arms again, sober this time he could tell for certain that she was in fact a real girl. She was breathless herself, but smiling up at him. Hyde didn't wait, he slammed his lips down at hers, certain he had wanted to be soft and gentle, but he had gotten too desperate to make that a possibility. She let him though and there really was no turning back once she opened to him.

His hands roughly pushed his jacket aside, anchoring at her hips so he could pull her closer. She once again had a hand on his shoulder, but this time her second hand was at his back, he was pretty sure she had hooked a finger in one of his belt loops. Before he knew what he was doing he had her up against the nearest tree. One of her legs hooked around his waist and his couldn't keep himself from grinding against her to feel every inch of her, to memorize her body while his hand trailed the softness of the bare skin of her legs. With a few expert moves he could have found a way to be inside her, and while the thought definitely crossed his mind he wouldn't do that to her. This girl deserved something more than a rough tumble against a tree, she deserved to be wooed in some fancy hotel draped in silk, rose petals and fancy ass champagne.

She pulled his head away from hers and Hyde found himself breathlessly whispering: "I'm not letting you go this time."

She smiled at him, and opened her mouth letting loose this other worldly voice, the one that had been haunting him at all hours of the day.

 _Say you'll see me again even if it's just pretend..._

And then, while he was dazzled and dazed by her voice, she slipped out from his grip, dodging to the side before he could grab her and taking off once more. This time when she dashed off into the trees Hyde lost her, he chased her all the way through the forest until he came across the clearing where he had found her again. Hyde turned in a million circles desperate to find even one last glimpse of her, or any clue to where she had gone.

But once again the girl and his jacket were gone. The disappointment welled up in his chest as the sun peaked above the horizon and he forced himself to let go of his quest to find her and headed back to his car angry that he had found her again and lost her just as quick. He knew he'd be back here in the following night to find her again he wasn't going to give up not now that he knew for sure that she was real.

When he got back to the car he realized that something was in his back pocket. Hyde pulled out his wallet, the one he was pretty sure his mystery fantasy girl had stolen, and found all his cards in tact but the cash he had gotten from Leo that day had been replaced with dried wild flowers.

Maybe she really was some kind of forest siren.

* * *

Even finding the girl sober wasn't enough to prove to his friends that this girl actually existed. None of them had seen her so obviously Hyde was making it up. Still, every time he went searching at that clearing, which was every day and every night for the last week he never brought them with him. Yeah sure, bringing them and then finding her again would prove that she did in fact exist but what if she was naked in the lake again? Call him crazy but this little siren girl was all his and none of his friends were going to be seeing her naked.

They had been sitting in the basement together, watching TV and fooling around like they usually did. Kelso, Fez and the girls had all gone home by now leaving just him and Eric in the basement.

Hyde got up, shrugging his second favourite jacket on, preparing to go out once again to go looking for her.

Eric was laughing at him. "You're really going out, in this weather to look for a figment of your imagination at the lake?" he asked him.

Yes it was raining pretty hard, the first time since he had met the girl, officially ending the drought warnings that everyone was rambling on about. Yeah it was crappy weather and he didn't want to go out in it, but if his girl was out in the woods today he'd want to see her singing and dancing in the rain. Hell he'd want to dance with her even if he did catch his death, it would be worth it if he saw her again.

"She's not a fantasy, man," Hyde told him for the millionth time. "I was sober last time. I felt her, every inch of her. She not in my mind so shut up!"

Eric stood up, concern etched onto his thin and pointy face. "Look, Steven," he started and Hyde knew that this was going to be the feel-good lecture of a lifetime. Nothing manly ever came out of Forman's mouth when he called Hyde by his first name. "I'm worried about you. We're all worried about you. We're worried that you've lost your mind over this, this girl who may or may not be real. Maybe, maybe you should wait a bit. Maybe she'll find you, you know... or you'll find someone who's real."

"Look... Forman!" Hyde started. He meant to tell his friend off. Remind him that he had found this girl when he was sober, he had purposely felt for her pulse as he groped his girl and it was there. She was as real as day, as him and stupid twitchy Forman. But something distracted him, something soft and out of place. "Stop... wait... listen!"

He and Eric fell silent and in that silence they both heard it. The distinct sound of coughing, soft, little feminine coughing. Hyde stalked to the door, the one that lead to the outside world, the side door and ripped it open. The person on the other side was staring up at the stairs, the overhang from the house was keeping her dry but even from where he was standing Hyde could see that she was soaked through and through. Most importantly it was his girl, the supposed fictional one. Hyde waved Eric over and the two stared at the girl who had their back to them.

Her long blonde hair was plastered to Hyde's brown leather coat and had caught several leaves, she was still in the green dress that he could see was plastered in mud stains. Her ankle boots had lost most of their tassels and were also covered in mud and grass stains. She was cold and shivering he could see the goose bumps on her bare legs. She was far from other worldly, she was plainly human having lost all her magic qualities and this sort of disappointed Hyde. He almost contemplated shutting the door because he was afraid he couldn't live with the girl if she didn't live up to the fantasy that he made up in his head.

"Uh... hello?" Eric asked and the girl whirled around.

Her eyes found Hyde's and his breath caught. Those green eyes were the same they held that same magic he remembered and his disappointment and fear left him. Her eyes shifted between he and Eric, her pale face had an unhealthy red tinge to it that made Hyde's eyebrows furrow together with concern that he didn't like to show.

"I... I..." she stammered. "I have nowhere else to go..."

She suddenly started coughing, the sound heart wrenching to Hyde's ears. She crumpled into his jacket as she coughed, each one wracking her body and shaking her chest. Then without another word, she promptly collapsed right in front of them.

* * *

Bonus points to anyone who knows the song she's singing. Reviews make me happy!


	2. Chapter 2

Point Place Siren

 **AvalonReeseFanFics**

 _A/N: So here we are with chapter 2. Keep telling what you think guys! I wanna know how this chapter went and if there's anything else you'd like to see. So I had someone ask why she's singing some T-swift when that's not period-correct. So. I know it's not the correct music, but (and you guys were going to learn this later but whatevs, I'm down to spoil my own stories), I wanted her character to be singer-song-writer and I'm not creative enough to make up my own songs so I've got her singing songs that I think will be good with the story. So they may not be from the correct time and I'm sorry but I just can't up and create songs like that, I'm lazy and just not that creative. Hope that clears things up. Don't forget to tell me what you think!_

Chapter 2: Spell Descends

* * *

As soon as her knees buckled Hyde surged forward and caught her before she could hit the ground. It took a little manoeuvring but it was pretty easy to hoist her frail form up into his arms and pull her out of the cold and into the warm basement. As he did that he felt her ribs and for the first time he realized that this girl was skin and bone, as if she hadn't been eating right for days.

"Holy shit!" Forman cried. "That's her isn't it? I mean that's really her! Holy Shit!"

He put a hand to her forehead before Hyde could stop him. He could have told Forman she had a fever, he could feel her forehead burning through the shirt he was wearing.

"She is burning up..." Forman told him. "And she's pretty sick too..."

He laughed at his own joke and Hyde just glared at him. How dare he make a hot joke about this girl who had literally just collapsed in front of him? Wasn't Eric supposed to be the compassionate one? Hyde dropped her to the couch and looked her over, getting a better look at her.

The paleness was no longer otherworldly now that he knew it was because she was sick, he couldn't tell if she was shivering because she was cold or because she had the chills from an illness. But she was still beautiful so he could see why Eric was making jokes about her looks. She groaned in her sleep as Hyde put his own hand to her forehead, the burning he felt wasn't from her touch this time but from a fever that was radiating off of her.

"What do we do?" Hyde asked Eric, because honestly he didn't know. He wanted to get Mrs. Forman because as a nurse and an all-around amazing woman she would know exactly what to do. But the Forman's were out on a date and wouldn't be home until later and there wasn't anyone else Hyde would be comfortable calling to ask about this. The Forman's were his surrogate family, they had kind of adopted him and therefore they were all Hyde had. But Eric had to have someone else.

"I don't know," Eric whispered and Hyde nearly growled at him. How could this kid be so goddamn dumb sometimes? "We need to get her warm, that's for sure. A hot shower should fix her up."

Hyde turned to look at Eric knowing exactly where this was going. "A hot shower? In her clothes. The only set of clothes this girl obviously has? And then what do we put her in once she's done her shower?"

"No, no, she shouldn't shower in the clothes. We'll take her out of them and put them in the wash…." Eric started but Hyde cut him off.

"No! We are not undressing this girl while she's unconscious. I'm pretty sure that's illegal!" Hyde snapped.

Eric's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Okay, firstly, this is a first aid situation, possibly helping this girl so no, it's not illegal. And secondly… haven't you already seen her naked?"

Of course he had, but he didn't feel right undressing her in front of someone else. This wasn't some chance encounter with her already naked, this would be undressing her without asking her first. Luckily Hyde didn't have to answer. The girl suddenly started coughing again so hard that she woke up again. She bolted up from the couch, her fever clouded eyes looking around no doubt confused. Hyde knelt beside her so she could be eye level with him and then she was looking at him again freezing the words he wanted to say right in his mouth.

She sighed to herself. "Did I black out again?" she asked him.

He nodded, afraid that if he opened his mouth he'd tell her how much that sentence scared him. To think that she was somewhere, without him, coughing so hard she was blacking out and waking up again. She groaned and lay back on the couch. She put her hands to her face, as if to block the light out of her eyes, but the sleeves of Hyde's jacket were too long, so it ended up being the sleeves on her face instead of her hands.

Eric leant over the couch and cleared his throat. The girl lifted one hand to stare at him and he smiled that idiotic smile at her. "We think it'd be a good idea to go to the shower and get you warm up. The chill is probably not helping you, you know?"

She turned her eyes to Hyde as if to silently ask him if this was really true and he found himself nodding along with Eric. "We can rustle you up some clean clothes while you're in there. Maybe make you something to eat, something small, you haven't eaten in a while am I right?"

The red on her cheeks doubled. Did she wonder how he knew? She didn't answer the question and Hyde didn't push her for one. Instead he pulled her up to her feet and half carried her up the stairs. Eric trailed after them, telling her about his home. She answered in polite tones but didn't seem to interest in what he was telling her. She leaned against Hyde, and he found himself both craving more and burning up at the same time. He needed to reign in his passion if he was going to take care for this girl, she needed a knight in shining armor not a barbarian.

He got her into the washroom and he started up the shower. Eric handed her towels and with a wide smart-ass grin asked: "Hey! You need help getting out of your dress?"

Hyde shot him a glare and then shoved him out the door. "Ignore him, he's a jackass!"

"Actually, I do need help. Can you unzip me?" she asked.

Hyde froze completely. He heard Forman utter something stupid like: "Alright!" and he slammed the door in his face. The girl had taken his jacket off and draped it over the sink. When she turned and pulled her light blonde hair over her shoulder and out of the way he could see that the dress had a zipper from the very top of the neck down to her butt. He didn't know how she got out of it the night he found her naked in the lake and he didn't think it would be proper to ask.

She waited patiently for Hyde and his shaking hands to come to her. He slowly brought the zipper down, his eyes taking in the familiar sight of her milky white like skin. He fought every urge to brush his fingers against her. He wanted her to feel safe here, not like she might get violated at any point in time.

She turned back to him with a smile on her face. "Thank you," she murmured and he knew it wasn't just for the help with the dress.

He answered with an even softer "You're welcome," before forcing his feet to move himself out of the washroom.

On the other side of the door Eric was grinning at him. "Did you get to second base?" he asked. All it took was one quick jab to the stomach and Eric was on the floor wheezing and coughing. And Hyde decided it would be safer if both of them went downstairs while she was getting ready.

* * *

 _Say you'll remember me, standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset, babe. Red lips and Rosy cheeks. Say you'll see me again, even if it's just in your wildest dreams._

The voice echoed through the house and both boys were hypnotized by it. Sitting in the kitchen with the dinner Mrs. Forman had left for them, Hyde saving half of his meal for the girl up stairs, they hadn't talked since the singing started.

Eric and Hyde had quickly decided that all of Laurie's clothes were too slutty for the girl. So they settled on give her one of Hyde's T-shirts—the cleanest one he could find—and a pair of Eric's pants because they were so small they'd probably fit her.

Eric sighed into his meatloaf. "Holy, no wonder you thought she was a siren, the girl has some pipes," he said.

Hyde felt inclined to agree, it was the first thing about her that attracted him to her. Eric continued to shove food in his face as Hyde pushed his into sections, most for her, bare minimum for him. "Oh man! The guys are gonna freak! Kelso's gonna be all over her too!"

Hyde froze, he had completely forgot Kelso and his trade mark handsomeness. He was good at getting chicks, obviously he was dumb as a bag of bricks but that didn't mean that the girl upstairs wouldn't fall for his charm and let her into his pants. Hyde didn't want that to happen, he wanted to be the one in her pants, he definitely wasn't going to share her with Kelso.

"He's not gonna touch her man," Hyde said carefully. "Not if he values his nuts."

The singing suddenly stopped as did the shower. The house was silent and the two boys were now staring at the ceiling. Eric turned his eyes to Hyde. "What do you think's going on?" he asked and then the girl sauntered into the room.

She looked a bit better, except she wasn't fully dressed. She was only wearing Hyde's shirt, the black fabric coming mid thigh. She threw Eric's pants at him. "They're too big," she said to him.

Eric's eyes had bugged out of his face as he stared at her and suddenly Hyde found himself standing up. He shielded her and those long creamy legs from Eric. "We'll find you shorts or something," Hyde said. "Are you hungry?"

Hyde noted that the red flush was still on her cheeks, so while he knew that she was obviously feeling better she was still sick. He'd need to get medicine in her stat. The girl nodded and Hyde gestured to the food he had saved for her and ushered her to his table, to his own spot. She sat down and smiled at Hyde before digging in.

"So, like, not to be rude, but what is a hot chick like you doing naked in the lake?" Eric suddenly asked her.

The girl's eyes shot up to Eric and then turned to Hyde, betrayal shining in them. Hyde frowned at Eric and the grabbed him by the back of the shirt. He practically picked him up and threw him out the door. "Why do you make yourself useful and find her some cold medicine she could take," he ordered and because Eric was scared of Hyde he did as he was told.

He turned back to the girl and took of his trademark sunglasses to tell her: "Sorry, guys... we kind of talk. If it makes you feel better everyone thought you were hallucination and that I was either hella stoned or just fucking crazy."

The girl laughed at this. "It's fine, I guess I just wasn't expecting it."

Hyde sat down in Eric's empty chair, now sitting across from her Hyde could see that the magic about her was definitely gone but it was a lot more comforting to know that she was human after all. "Uh... so did you like come looking for me or was this all some huge coincidence?"

The girl blushed. "No, nothing like fate aligning or anything like that. Your wallet, I had it. I memorized all your information. You seemed so nice I figured if I ever got in a real bind you might be able to help me out," she told him, her eyes lingering on his face. People usually didn't think of him as nice, he was a pretty lazy, callous and selfish kind of person. But he did have a soft and gooey center, he just didn't show it that often. But he had shown her and she somehow saw some good in him. Maybe he could be good for her. She lowered her eyes back to her plate to add: "Besides, you're such a great kisser I wanted to know where you were in case I wanted to make out some more."

Okay so maybe he didn't need to be all that good.

"Well I guess that puts me at a bit of a disadvantage. You know everything about me. Care to tell me something about yourself?"

The girl smiled and shifted in her seat. She was sitting all prim and proper, he was starting to think that she had been raised as a proper lady. If she was then he'd be her bad-boy fling but he probably wouldn't be the guy she ended up with, which sort of upset him.

"Alright, that sounds fair," she said. "Alright, I'm female, obviously. I'm running away so I have no current address. I was 100 pounds but I might have lost a lot of that, I'm about 5'3 unless weight loss shrinks you and my name is Serena."

Hyde couldn't help but repeat her name, a soft whisper on his lips it felt like her name was some enchantment that just felt right in his mouth. This soft and perfect moment was shattered almost immediately though the second Eric Forman's parents walked in through the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Point Place Siren

 **AvalonReeseFanFics**

 _A/N: Here's the next part. Sorry it took me so long. Hopefully it makes some people laugh. Don't forget to tell me what you think!_

Chapter 3: Crescendo Rising

* * *

Kitty and Red Forman stared flabbergasted at the girl sitting opposite of Stephen. They were most likely shocked by her appearance, seeing as she was wearing his favourite band tee as a dress that barely covered anything, and probably because this was the most innocent scene the two of them could have walked in on involving Hyde and a half dressed girl.

Poor Serena was just sitting there, eyes wide in shock staring up at them. It was clear as day she had no idea what to say to explain her appearance or her clothes so it was going to be up to Hyde to save her.

"What the hell?" Red cried. "Why is there a half-naked girl sitting at our table?"

Stephen was on his feet before Red's tantrum could get louder or worse. He got between the Forman's and Serena said squared his shoulders, ready to take the brunt of the anger. "Serena's lost and sick and I took her in to help her feel better."

Kitty pushed him aside and immediately went for Serena who had tried leaning back in her chair as far as she could. Kitty got to her anyway putting a hand to her forehead to check on the fever. "Oh gosh, she's burning up," she said.

Red was more about the practicality of things. "Where the hell are her clothes?" he asked.

Kitty was already pulling Serena up. "Come on, we're going to get you some medicine, and a nice pair of pajamas to sleep off this fever in," she was saying as she pulled Serena up and away from the table.

Serena shot a frantic glance at Stephen who could only nod her away and then he found himself staring at the lacy panties the shirt was barely concealing on the perfectly rounded butt walking away from him. Oh god was that a sight he was never going to forget.

Red snapped his fingers in front of Stephen's face to regain his attention and then repeated the question. Stephen sighed before saying: "She showed up soaking wet, we put her clothes through the dryer to they'd be warm when she went to put them on again."

"So you put a soaking wet and sick girl in half a tee shirt and thought that would make her feel better?" Red asked as if it were the stupidest thing he had ever heard. And to be fair it was a pretty stupid idea, they should have at least given her a blanket.

"I gave her a pair of Forman's pants but they were too big for her," Stephen mumbled.

Red sighed. "And where is my idiot son?" he snapped and then Eric slouched his way into the kitchen. Well at least Stephen wasn't about to get this lecture on his own.

* * *

Kitty closed the door to Laurie's room where she had put the new foundling she had found and dressed up in proper clothes. She jumped when she found Stephen behind her, though she didn't know why she was surprised he appeared.

"Stephen!" she cried. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if she was okay," he said softly. He had a bowl of soup in his hands. "Red said soup makes people feel better so I made her soup. She hasn't eaten in a while. She's hungry."

Kitty understood why Stephen cared so much about her. She was a very attractive young lady and Stephen had been in a situation much like hers before Kitty had told Red they were taking him in. She smiled fondly at the boy who was such a lovely young man underneath all the grunge and bad attitude.

"I've got her sleeping Stephen," she said to him. "She's pretty sick and she's awfully tired."

"If I promise not to excite her can I go check on her and leave the soup for later?" he asked.

Kitty didn't have the heart to tell him no, so she opened the door for him and ushered him in. For the first time she remarked that she wasn't nervous about having a boy in Laurie's room.

As soon as the door shut behind Stephen Serena sat up in bed. She smiled sleepily at him that made him smile too. She was dressed in a pair of Laurie's old flannels that were white with yellow duckies printed on them, her blonde hair was tied back and she had hot water bottles all around her and a large glass of water on the side table. Stephen put the soup into her hands and watched as she took a few mouthfuls.

"I think you're going to be staying for a while," Stephen said to her.

Serena nodded. "Yes, I think I am too. I hope that's okay."

"More than okay," he whispered. "Sorry we didn't put proper clothes on you."

Serena giggled. "It's fine. Beggars can't be choosers."

"Can you tell me your full name?" Stephen asked. "Since you know mine, it's only fair that I know yours."

Serena pivoted, not only her gaze but her body, away from him. "I'm afraid if I do that he'll find me."

"He?" Stephen echoed.

"I ran away for a reason. I don't want my past catching up to me," she said. Stephen most definitely knew how that felt.

Stephen reached out and took her hand, even though it was holding a spoon and he held it softly. "I'll make sure you're okay from now on," he whispered.

Serena smiled softly. "I'm a lot of trouble, you know," she warned him.

"I have a feeling that you're going to be worth it… just… stay away from Kelso…" Stephen said with a grimace.

"What's a 'Kelso'?" she asked with a confused tilt of her head. Kitty knocked on the door and called for Stephen to come out and he did as he was told, taking the half-eaten soup with him at Serena's request. He was going to sleep a lot better knowing that Serena was there in the house.

* * *

Kelso let himself into the Forman's basement. His on and off again girlfriend, who was currently off again, Jackie was sitting on the couch beside Danna, filing her nails as they watched the TV. Donna was leaning on Eric who was the third person on the couch. As Kelso took the lawn chair beside the round table but closest to the door he noticed that Hyde was sitting in the chair across from him, and he had this blonde nymph looking girl sitting on his lap.

She had this long curly blonde hair, like a mermaid's, that hung down to her lower back and wore this flowing white nightgown. She had pale alabaster skin and she was absolutely stunning. The type of girl you saw in a hooters mag and that Kelso could only dream of every meeting and getting with. He now had a new goal for the summer.

Eric turned away from the TV and asked Kelso a question that he didn't hear, and the girl on Hyde's lap started singing some song he didn't recognize with a voice that counted as fictional it was just that good.

"Who is that?" he asked pointing at the girl.

Everyone turned to Hyde confused. Hyde, who originally had his arms around the waist of the girl spread them out wide as if asking Kelso how dumb he could be, before asking Kelso how dumb he was.

"Geezus, how dumb can you be that you can't recognize me? It's me Hyde man, how much have you smoked?" he asked.

"No, no, the girl on Hyde. Who the hell is the girl on Hyde?" Kelso asked.

His friends all exchanged glances before giving Kelso a stare that made him feel like they were super concerned for his well being. "There's no girl, Michael," Jackie said sternly, her high pitched voice and tone making him feel more stupid then he usually felt.

"What do you mean no girl? She's sitting right there on Hyde's lap!" Kelso raged pointing right at her.

Hyde glared at him behind his glasses. "I think if I had a girl on my lap right now, I'd know it. Are you hallucinating?"

The girl finally turned her pale face at him, a smile on her pink lips. "Point all you want but only you know I'm here," she sang in a voice that made his hair stand up on his neck.

Kelso jumped to his feet. "What the fuck?" he cried. "What are you?"

"The ghost of girlfriends past. I'm going to take you on a ride and show you all the girls you've ever slept with," she said in a dangerous low point. "And Jackie's going to come too…"

That was all Kelso needed to hear, he yelped loudly and quickly turned and fled. There was a whole three seconds of silence before everyone in the group started laughing. Donna leant over and high fived her.

"You are absolutely the best!" she cried.

Serena smiled at her and tried not to wince when Donna's hand connected with hers. Kitty came down the stairs at that point and tsked loudly at them. "Really Stephen did you have to take the blanket off of her?" she asked. She slapped Eric's head when she got close enough. "And what? You couldn't let her sit on the couch?"

"But mom I don't want to sit in Hyde's lap," he whined which earned him another smack.

Kitty took Serena's hands and pulled her away from Hyde who watched her go, only turning away when she was out of sight. Eric who was used to how Hyde was with her said nothing but Jackie was all giggles.

"Oh… Hyde's in love with the new girl!" she cried.

Hyde glared at her. "No, I just wanna bone her," he snapped.

Kelso took this time to appear in the basement again. He pointed at Hyde. "Okay, I know this all some stupid trick!" he cried. "Where's the girl?"

"Seriously Kelso," Donna said with her calm voice of reason. "There is no girl."

Kelso cried out in frustration before storming out of the basement again, slamming the door behind him as he did.

The gang laughed at their own private joke again. "So how long do you think we can keep him thinking that Serena's a ghost or something?" Donna asked.

And then they all made bets on it.


End file.
